Shoe support



June 13, 1933. s. J. FINN 1 1,913,437

' SHOE SUPPORT Filed Feb. 16, 1931 Fig.1.

4 -3 1 1?" (if M ,1 A Z6 Z4 1 VENTUR- Patented June 3, 1933 UNITED] STATES "PATENT A OFFWE SIDNEY 3. m or" BEVERLY, mnssscnnsnrrs; assxenon re mm ems r MACHINERY CORPORATION, or ra'rnnson, NEW was, a oonronamon on shoes at the topof the forepart. tion isherein illustrated as embodied in a forepart support or toe rest forming a! part of a bed-lasting machine, but. it is to be underl mnsmr snoa sorrow ap e se filed February 16, 1193i. Serial No. 516,635.

This invention relates to shoe supports, and

m re particularly to means for supporting The 1nvenj stood that the invention is not thus "limited in its applicability.

1'11 supporting a shoe at the top ofthefore part, especially at the toe end, it is desirable that the pressure. of the shoe support on the.

upperbe distributed as evenly as p'ossibjle over a considerable portion of the area of the upper, so as to avoiddanger of damagingthe upper by excessive pressure 1n any location.

It has accordingly been proposed heretofore to utilize in a forepart support a flexible fluid container which conforms itself to thecontour ofthe shoe while substantially equal1z 1n g the pressures applied indifferent locations, as

disclosed, for example, in Letters Patent No. 1,495,163, granted onMay 27,,1924 upon an application of L. A. Ca'sgrain. ,Anobjectof the present invention is to provide anflnn provement'in shoe supports of this type, and especially to provide-a supporthavinga fluid container which is as flexible as possible and yet is confined in such manner as toiprevent excessive expansion thereof inany location: under the 1 pressure of the shoe thereon To this and other ends, the constructlonherein shown comprises a rubber fluid container mounted in a holder which ineloses portions thereof, and aflexible cover of substantially non-elastic material inclosing portions of the container that are outside of the/holder and i so controlled asto prevent undueexpansionof anyportion of the container located between the shoe and the holder; More'particularly,

as illustrated, the flexible cover, which is preferablymade of leather, is fitted to serve as a cap loosely mounted over the top and portions i of the sidesof the container with its marginal portion extending into the holder in position facilitate theconformity of the support to the contourof the shoe, and as the pressure increases its marginal portion is clamped firmly between the container and the walls of the holder sothatthe cover is securelyheld in place. In accordance with a further fea j ects toward the shoe beyond that wall of the a holder which is farthest from the end of the toe of the shoe, this wall of the container being recessed to provide clearancefon the shoe. As illustrated, the rigid inembercorm prises a plate which is fastened to a portion of the flexiblecover. l

The novel features of the invention will now be inore particularlydescribed by refer ence to the accompanying drawingfland pointedout in the claims.

Inthedrawing, l Fig. 1 shows in verticalsection aforepart support or toe rest in which'the invention is embodied, arranged to serveas a portion of a bed-lastingmachine; and

F1g.2shows the shoesupport in elevation,

as viewed from theright of F i raspb r ie l l b of the structure being broken away, i V

i As illustrated, the forepart support rest comprises a fluid container lOniounted;

vine cup-shaped metalholder l 2"which is supported on the head 14 of a stem-16 where by the toe rest is positioned inthe lasting lna j chine. It will be understood that the toe rest supports the forepartof the shoe against heavy downward pressure applied to the marginal portion of the upper over themsoleby wipers 18 located over a toe band 20 which clamps the upper around the toenear the edge of'the shoe bottom. V The container 10 is lnade ofrubber and, as illustrated, has no reinforcing material fOlmlllg apart thereor toe of, the container therefore being veryflexible and readily conformableto the contour of the shoe. In its bottomportion the container has an opening 22, andthrough this opening and a corresponding opening inthe bottom preferably water,which because of the fact that it is non-compressible, afiords a firm support for the shoe while permitting the container to conform itself readily to the con-.

tour of the shoe. A threaded plug 32 closes the opening in the tube 24 and confines the liquid. The collar 30 is fitted within a recess in the head 14 and is confined by a pin 34 which is mounted in the head and lies partly in a groove 36 formed in the periphery of the collar, the groove being large enough to permit some turning movement of the holder 12 so that the toe rest may adjust itself to right and left shoes. It will be evident that when the pin'34 is withdrawn the holder '12 and the parts mounted thereon may be detached as a unit.

It will be observed that the side walls of the holder 12 inclose portions only of the side walls of the flexible container 10, a substantial portion of the container projecting from the holder to permit it to conform to the contour of the shoe without danger of contact of the shoe with the holder. In order to confine the projecting portion of the container against excessive expansion in any location under pressure of the shoe thereon, there is provided a flexible cover 88 which is fitted to serve as a cap inclosing the top and portions of the side walls of the container, this cap being preferably formed of non-elastic material, such as leather, and serving additionally to protect the rubber container from excessive wear.- Preferably the cover is loosely mounted on the container, i. e., without being fastened to it. It will be seen that the container is normally somewhat smaller than the interior of the holder, so that aspace is provided into which the marginal portion of the cover 38 projects height-wise of the shoe and where it is clamped against the holder by pressure of the fluid in the container when the shoe presses on the support; The marginal portion of the cover, which terminates short of the bottom of the holder, is slidingly movable inwardly and outwardly between the container and the walls of the holder, and it will be understood that as pressure is applied on the top of the container the marginal portion of the cover may slide more or less into the holder in one or more locations to facilitate conformity of the cover and the container to the contour of the shoe. As the pressure increases the marginal portion of the cover is clamped so-flrrnly between the 0011;;

clearance for that portion of the shoe which is over it. To assist in preventing any undue expansion of the flexible container between this wall and tl e shoe, there is further provided a substantially rigid metal plate 42 which overlaps the container in this location and terminates :l'arenough from the shoe to. avoid contact therewith. This plate is fastened by rivets 44 to the cover 38, and is slidingly movable with the marginal portion of the cover inwardly and outwardly between the container and the wall of the-holder. It will be understood that in responseto pressure of the shoe on the shoe support the plate 42 and the portion of the cover 38 to which it is attached are first moved more or less into the holder as the container and the cover. conform themselves to the contour of the shoe, after whichthe plate and the attached portion of the cover are firmly clamped against the wall of the holder by the pressure of the fluid.v

Having described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A shoe-support comprising a flexible fluid container constructed and arranged to support a shoe at thetopof the forepart, a holder ,inclosing a portion of said fluid container, and a flexible cover arranged to lie between the container and the shoe with its marginal portion extending heightwise-of the shoe into the holder in position to be clamped against the holder by pressure of the fluid in the container, said marginal portion being movable in the holder heightwise of. the shoe relatively to the container.. I 1

2 A shoe support comprising an elastic fluid container constructed and arranged to support a. shoe at the top" of the forepart, a holder inclosinga portion of saidfluid container, and a substantially non-elasticflexible cover loosely mounted over the container with its marginal portion. extending heightwise-of the shoe .into the'holder a portion only ofthe distance that the container extends in position to be clamped against the holder by pressure of the fluid in the container. I v

3. A shoe support comprising a flexiblefluid container constructed and arranged to support a shoe'at the top of the forepart, a holder inclosing a' portion of said fluid container, and a flexible cover mounted over the container:and-(separate therefrom with its marginal portion extending heightwise of the shoe into the holder and arranged to be ,forced farther into the holder in response to pressure of the shoe on the shoe support and then to be clamped against the holderby increasing pressure of the fluid in the container.

4.. A shoe support comprising a flexible fluid container constructed and arranged to holder inclosing portions of the sides of said fluid container, and a cap of flexible support a shoe at the top-of the forepart,

material formed to inclose the'top and the remaining portions of the sides of the container, said cap beinglooselymounted over the container with its marginal portion terninating short of the bottom of the holder in position to be clamped against the holder by pressure of the fluid in thecontainer.

5. A shoe support comprising a rubber fluid container constructed and arranged to supportfa shoe at the top of the forepart, a

bolder inclosing portions of thesides of said fluid container, and a cap oi: substantially non-clastic flexible material incloslng the top and the remaining portionsot the sides of y the contalner, the marglnal portlon of said cap being movable relatively to the container inwardly and outwardly between the container and the side walls of the holder.

6. A shoe support comprising a rubber receptacle containing liquid and formed and arranged to support a shoe at the top of the forepart, a holder having rigid walls inclosing portions of the sldes of said rubber receptacle, and a leather cap separate from said receptacle and fitted to inclose the top support a shoe at the top of the forepart, a holder mounted, a portion of the container being and portions of the sides of the receptacle, the marginal portion of said leather cap extending intosaid holder and being movable relatively to the receptacle inwardly and outwardly between the receptacle and the walls of the holder. y

7.A shoe support comprising a flexible fluid container constructed and arranged to in which. said fluid container is arrangedto extend heightwise of theshoe outside of the holder, and a substantially rigidmember arranged to confine said outwardly extending portion of the container,

said member extending into the holder and being movable inwardly and'outwardly between the container and the holder.

8. A shoe support comprising a flexible fluid container constructed and arranged to support a shoe at the top of the forepart, a holder in which said fluid container is mounted, said holder on the side farthest from the end of the toe of the shoe having a wall recessed to provide clearance for the shoe and beyond which aportion of the container extends toward the shoe, and a plate arranged to overlap the container inthat locatiomsaid.

. cap towhich it is attached.

plate extending into the holder and being movable inwardly and outwardly between the container and the wall of the holder.

9. A" shoe support comprising a flexible fluid containerconstructed and arranged to support a shoe at the top of the forepart, a

holder in which said fluid container is mounted, a flexible cover extending over the contamer outslde of the holder, and a substan' tially lltZlCl. member attached to said cover and overlapping a portion of the container,

said member extending into the holder and being, movable inwardly and outwardly between the container and the holder.

10. A shoe support comprising a flexible fluid container constructed and arranged to support a shoe at the top of: the forepart, a

holder inclosing portions of the sides of said fluid container, a cap of flexible material formed to inclose the top and the remaining portions of the sides of the container, and a plate attached to said cap and overlapping a portion of the container outside of the holder, said plate extending into the holder and being movable inwardly and outwardly betweenthe container and the holder.

11. A shoe support comprising a rubber receptacle containing liquid and formed and arranged to support a shoe at the top of the forepart, a holder having rigid walls inclosing portions of the sides of said rubber receptacle, a flexible cap of substantially nonelastic material fittedto inclose the top and portions of the sides of the receptacle, the marginal portion of said cap extending into the holder and being movable farther into the holder in response to pressure of the shoe on the shoe support, and a plate attached to the marginal portion of said cap and overlapping aportion of the receptacle outside of the holder, said plate being movable into the holder with that portion of the 12. A shoe support"comprising a flexible fluid container constructed and arranged to support av shoe at the top of the forepart,

a holder inclosing a portion of said container and having a wall on the side farthest SIDNEY J FINN. 

